Whiteside County, Illinois
Whiteside County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 60,653. A 2008 estimate shows a slight decrease to 59,153. Its county seat is Morrison . The Sterling Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Whiteside County. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.24%) is land and (or 1.76%) is water. Major highways Townships Albany, Clyde, Erie, Fenton, Fulton, Garden Plain, Genesee, Hahnaman, Hopkins, Hume, Jordan, Lyndon, Montmorency, Mount Pleasant, Newton, Portland, Prophetstown, Sterling, Rock Falls, Tampico, Union Grove, Ustick Adjacent counties *Carroll County (north) *Ogle County (northeast) *Lee County (east) *Bureau County (southeast) *Henry County (south) *Rock Island County (southwest) *Clinton County, Iowa (west) across the Mississippi River National protected area * Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part) History Whiteside County was formed in 1836 out of Jo Daviess and Henry Counties. It was named for General Samuel Whiteside, an Illinois officer in the War of 1812 and Black Hawk War. File:Whiteside County Illinois 1836.png|Whiteside County at the time of its creation in 1836 Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was born in the Whiteside County community of Tampico. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 60,653 people, 23,684 households, and 16,768 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 25,025 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.81% White, 8.02% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.07% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 8.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.5% were of German, 10.8% Irish, 9.9% Dutch, 9.6% American and 7.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 23,684 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,354, and the median income for a family was $46,653. Males had a median income of $35,314 versus $21,828 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,296. About 6.20% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Townships Whiteside County is divided into these townships: Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morrison have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in August. See also * List of counties in Illinois *National Register of Historic Places listings in Whiteside County, Illinois References External links *County History *History of Whiteside *County website Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Established in 1836 Category:Whiteside County, Illinois Category:Counties of Illinois on the Mississippi River